Match Reports

Wootton & BH (Home) – Cherwell 5C – WLD

Occupying dizzying heights at the top of the league, WAGCC began the second half of the season against Wootton & Boars Hill.  With the prospect of rain and plenty of showers around, both sides were keen to bowl first. Dave Spencer strode confidently out to ‘win’ the toss - this was not to be the case and he sheepishly gestured that we were batting instead.  Pad up Colin and TPL and let’s see that opening partnership we saw so often last season. Alas not. The 15th ball saw Colin chop onto his stumps…continue reading →

Risinghurst (Home) – Cherwell 5C – WLD

Openers for Wantage and Grove, form on display,Mercer and Lane, a partnership's ballet.But Lane fell, caught, unable to go far,Rehman's bowling dismissing him back to the bar. Wiggins arrived, smashing his first ball off the teeBut a barn-bound shot was Rehman's gleeJonny at four, his languid form and convictionBhardwaj's catch confirmed Spenny's unwanted prediction. A solid start wasted, and hopes teetering tooMercer cruising towards fifty, out LBW.Bhu partnered with Binners, one young and one old,The elder, he fell, out caught and bowled 96-5, a partnership was now the needed,So Summersbee and Binners steadily…continue reading →

Garsington (Away) – Cherwell 5C WLD

With Mabbs having more important things to do this week than write another match report, you’re stuck with me again this week! [Edit: Congrats Mr and Mrs Mabbs!] It’s been many years since we last made the trip to Garsington, and oh what a different day that was, wet, gale force winds, and cold… today the opposite, hot, dry, and barely a cloud in the sky (at the start at least). It’s also the start of the win-lose-draw portion of the season, different format, different tactics, could Skip win the toss to take…continue reading →

Cairns Fudge (A) – Cherwell 5C WL

Good day everyone, and welcome to the match report for the great grudge match between Wantage & Grove CC 1st XI v Cairns Fudge CC – Saturday 3rd June 2023 On a gloriously sunny day in June, The WAGCC travelled to Stanton-St-John for a fixture that most of the players had been waiting with great anticipation for, for a good few years. The last time we played them was in the OCA and for whatever inexplicable, your writer had never actually beaten Fudge at their place. Half of the Wantage team sat in…continue reading →

Oxford Downs 3s (Home) – Cherwell 5c

After a successful previous week chasing a low total against Sunningwell, the 1s returned to the home of (Wantage) cricket to face Oxford Downs – the sun was out and the weather set fair, so the skipper was well minded to bat first. Luckily, despite losing his first toss of the year, the Downs’ skipper saw it differently and decided to insert Wantage. Col and TPL strolled out to start our innings and it was a watchful start – Bello opened with a maiden, and A. List also didn’t concede a run off…continue reading →

Sunningwell (A) Cherwell 5C WL

Match Report: Sunningwell vs. Wantage & GroveLeague: Cherwell Cricket League - Division 5C 2023Venue: SunningwellDate: Saturday, 20th May 2023Start Time: 13:00Toss: Wantage & Grove won the toss and elected to field. Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because the clash between Sunningwell and Wantage & Grove in the Cherwell Cricket League - Division 5C was a rollercoaster of hilarity and excitement. Picture a sunny afternoon at Sunningwell, where the stage was set for an epic battle between these two teams. Sunningwell Innings: Right from the get-go, Wantage & Grove showed off their…continue reading →

Didcot 4s (Away) Cherwell 8D

So the big day was finally here – the inaugural match for Wantage & Grove 2nd XI. After being rained off last week, anticipation levels were high. So much so that our opening batsman Wonga arrived late and got demoted to 8, leaving Simon and Jayesh to open the batting against an athletic-looking Didcot 4th team who won the toss and smartly elected to field. The forecast had been looking good all week, a welcome relief considering the amount of rain which had fallen in the past fortnight. However, the sun was not…continue reading →

Dorchester (H) Cherwell 5C WL

Here we are again, welcome to the 2023 season, and with the introduction of our 2nd XI, twice the match report reading to be done! You’d think that’d mean I’d keep this brief, we’ll see… Abysmal weather over the last few weeks, including washing out 86 of 87 games across the Cherwell league meant that today’s visit of Dorchester was the 1’s first action of the season. Dorch, a team we’ve become pretty familiar with over the last few seasons, turned up with only 10 (which it subsequently turns out means they’ve been…continue reading →

Steventon season ender (A) Cherwell League Div5c

The finale to the season dawned. The last weekend of freshly cut grass tingling the nostrils; the compulsory rubbing of balls on thigh; the OCD tapping of bat on village green to smooth out a slight imperfection; and the inevitability of Summs once again losing the toss. I’m sure it is appropriate to point out at this stage that he has only won 2 tosses all season, so we’ve very much gotten used to being sent out to field; indeed faith was so high in his ability to call a 50/50 correctly that…continue reading →

Clifton Hampden (A) Cherwell League Div 5c

I drove for the first time this season to an away game on my lonesome, without the wise stalwart Tweeky giving me my motivational pre game mental preparation. (me trying to find out the secret hand shake for the masons).  Gatorade and cardboard flavoured "fresh" chicken pasta stowed away safely on the passenger seat was no substitute for the club legend.I turned off the main road into the cricket ground  full of hope that today might be the day we could pull off our first away win of the season, my thoughts were abruptly put…continue reading →